Bought 1/2 Tsp Samples That Are 1/4 Tsp! I Got CHEATED!!

[SouthernGirl]

Recently (last week) I purchased some samples from someone name iamgrape1119.

here is her blog - Tao's Makeup

i hope that someone else saw her sale last week on her blog where she was selling "1/2 tsp" pigment samples because i tried to go back to the sale page today and it has been deleted!

now she has a new sale up with no samples mentioned at all, and she deleted the other sale page.

now, no one who bought anything from that last sale can go back and look over the items, shipping terms, etc.

there were a lot of comments on that other sale page as well, and any of those other people who commented and wanted to buy stuff like i did, they can never go back and look at what they bought to make sure it is what they paid for!

now, on to my issue.

on the last sale page that is now deleted - where she was selling the samples - she advertised her samples as 1/2 tsp. for $3 each.

ok, i can pay that. that's a deal.

THEN...she charged $1 paypal fee, and $2.50 for the first item and $0.50 per additional item for first class shipping.

THEN...if you wanted priority mail she charged $5 for the first sample, then $0.50 for each additional sample.

i bought 15 samples and wanted priority so i paid $12 for shipping a very small package that weighs less than 3 ounces - i weighed it when it arrived because the package was so tiny.

THEN...when i see the samples...i am appalled to see that they are not 1/2 tsp samples.

NONE of them are over 1/4 teaspoon!

so with the $3 per samples, plus the ridiculous shipping charge i paid
$51 for 15 very skimpy samples that BARELY measure 1/4 tsp.

i know because i measured them myself.

what am i suposed to do?

i really need these samples for an event i have this week.

i just bought from her because i was trying to get a deal but instead i got cheated, i think.

how can i approach her about this, and should i ask for a partial refund because i do need the samples.

i usually buy from my girl cheryl shiny eyes and now i feel stupid that i ever strayed from her, as she is the VERY BEST!

i have some photos of one of tao's samples compared to a Rose Gold sample from cheryl.

i didn't do a photo comparison all of tao's samples to cheryl's sample because ALL of tao's samples are the same size, 1/4 tsp.

i am SO mad right now!

she told me to contact her when i got the package but i haven't because i would not be nice. the package arrived yesterday.

anyhoo here are the photos.

and as i said i hope someone else saw her sample sale so they can corroborate what i'm saying about the price of the samples, the fact that she said they were 1/2 tsp. and her shipping fees.

in these photos cheryl's rose gold sample is on the left, a mutiny sample from tao is on the right. where you see the measured spoons they are both 1/4 tsp.

Cheryl's sample on the left in a 5 gram jar. notice how far from the top rim of the sample jar the piggie is. there is not much space between the rim of her jar and the start of the pigment as her sample is a full 1/2 tsp and that's what a full 1/2 tsp. is supposed to look like.

tao's sample on the left looks...skimpy. it's in a small plastic tub but compared to cheryl's i think you can tell that it is DEFINITELY not a 1/2 tsp.

a little closer

what the sample containers look like side by side

samples tilted sideways

samples meausured, both in 1/4 tsp. spoons. i tapped cheryl's sample to the right side so the rest of what was in the jar would all pile up on the right, so you can see that there is another 1/4 tsp. sample still in the jar - her sample is a true 1/2 tsp.

after measuring tao's out with a 1/4 tsp. spoon her container is empty.

I AM SO UPSET!!! please, someone respond to this so i will know what to do and how to resolve this situation the best way.

i paid money for 1/2 tsp. samples as was advertised, not 1/4 tsp. samples!

thanx in advance to all who help!

 

[MACATTAK]

I would contact her & mention everything you have mentioned here. Did you happen to keep the invoice she sent you? Does it mention it was for 1/2 tsp samples? Contact her, but don't be mean about it. It could have been an oversight. Give her the benefit of the doubt until you hear back.

 

[burnerxo123]

yeah you should contact her about that

 

[emeraldjewels]

I would contact her and say "I'm sorry, I think you made a mistake as I paid for 1/2 tsp samples but only received 1/4 tsp, is there a way we can work out the difference" or something along those lines. I wouldn't be angry right away, i'd see how she responds to that then go from there. Although i think its a little suspect that she has deleted the page etc.. she may just agree to a partial refund or something to avoid any arguments or hassle of a paypal dispute.

 

[Corvs Queen]

I honestly cannot see a reason why this should be aired publicly. Contact the seller and try to make some resolution and then if things are not "made right", then let potential buyers know that she scammed you. Not now. Ya know, before you've even contacted her to let her know that it's not what you ordered.

 

[Brittni]

^ Emerald I disagree. Why would she start out with "I'm sorry?" it's not HER fault. instead of posting here I would havej ust done the logical thing and contacted the chick for rippin you off. If you went throguh paypal file a dispute.

 

[SouthernGirl]

hi everyone, thanks for the advice. i posted it here first before ocntacting her because:

1. she had sooooo many comments on the original sale page asking about these samples that if it was an oversight, i think the first four or five questions about the 1/2 tsp. samples would have alerted her that something was wrong with her listing

2. i have purchased from her before....a long time ago. like a year or so ago and she advertised then that she was selling 1/2 tsp. samples. the same thing happened then. when they arrived they looked like 1/4 tsp. samples but i just bought a few, so i kinda grumbled but i didn't say anything. i thought well, i just won't buy from her again.

that was last year so it was a totally different sale thread. and she's still doing the same thing this year in a new and now deleted sale thread.

shouldn't i alert members of this community who i'm sure buy plenty of samples on the net that there might be something wrong with this seller?

at the time of buying the samples from her again last week, i totally forgot that she was the person who i swore i would never buy samples from again so i made the same mistake twice.

3. i posted it here because, pardon me if i'm wrong, but isn't this the place people come to when they want mac advice?

i also posted her name in case someone else had bought from her so we could corroborate on the 1/2 tsp. sample thing. isn't that the type of thing that is done here, like in the counterfeit forum? i'm sure i'm not the first one who has done this.

i've read plenty of counterfiet and complaint forums here where people's names, websites, etc. are called out all the time in complaints and questions to the forum, so why is what i did so unusual?

4. i posted it here also, because i don't know everything. i'm not trying to be rude but i really and truly did not know how i should handle the situation. sorry, i'm new at this and not an expert like some of you guys.

5. i have checked my paypal invoice, it just says "mac sale"

i am going to contact her tonight about a partial refund. she's robbed me once and she's not going to get away with it twice.

i'm going through my entire email box to see if i have any of her latest emails or the ones from last year when i bought from her that mention the size of the samples.

thanks to everyone who gave good advice!

 

[SouthernGirl]

i have found PROOF that she was selling 1/2 tsp. samples!

thank God for google!

i took a chance and looked up her username, the number "1/2" and the number "3" because that's how much each sample was, and lo and behold, you can see here on this google page that she was indeed sellling 1/2 tsp. samples.

the only things is when you click on the search result, the page has been deleted, but google retained the memory of what was on the page!

i have taken a screen shot of the google page in case that disappears too.

here it is!

iamgrape1119 1/2 $3 - Google Search

 

[SouthernGirl]

here is the exact sale thread that was deleted from her blog on her livejournal - again $3 for 1/2 tsp.

iamgrape1119's Journal

also...when you click the link i posted above for the google page, the second result on the page is from the older sale i bought from.

again...advertising 1/2 tsp samples.

i was wrong, it was NOT a year ago, that sale was just in april - it's the link that says "
"Tao's Makeup: 3/1/08 - 4/1/08"

it seemed like so long ago to me but it was just a few months ago.

so she's making this "oversight" over and over again, so i don't think it's just a mistake.

 

[reverieinbflat]

iamgrape1119's Journal

She posted it on LJ too, apparently.

got to it at the same time it seems, haha.

 

[SouthernGirl]

thanks reverie! love that name - military baby

 

[SouthernGirl]

wow on that lj page tho, it says priority is a flat rate $5 no matter how much you buy.

that's not what was on her now deleted (except on google, lol) sale page.

interesting.

because i have emails from last week where i asked her why shipping is so high, and she breaks down the fact that i wanted priority and that is $5 PLUS and additional 50 cent per sample.

hmmmmmmmmm......

i am not trying to drag this out. just want everyone to know i am not crazy and just flinging accusations at her for no reason.

and i don't want anyone else to get cheated.

i will be sure to contact her tonight.

 

[Corvs Queen]

Still, why air dirty laundry in public? I honestly and truly do not see the need for this. But whatever. Just my opinion.

 

[SouthernGirl]

corvis queen, this forum...it's about helping people right? or am i wrong?

because since she has been selling samples for a little while, i am most likely not the only person she has gotton over on.

i am probably just the only one who will say anything.

i have this...i dunno..."thing" about consumer rights and consumer protection.

i guess it's because i'm a journalist.

and apparently...a lot of other members on this board have the same "thing", which is why the counterfeit forums exist.

is it airing "dirty laundry" to lists of names and websites of fraudulent ebay sellers?

with people not only making these lists of bad sellers, but posting full emails from the sellers, investigating how many user accounts the sellers might have and posting the findings here, reporting what ebay said they could/would/wouldn't do, reporting what paypal said they could/would/wouldn't do, and giving sometimes emotional testimony about how they feel about sellers who cheated them, etc?

i have not said anything about her personally, or called her out of her name.

i have posted the facts.

she is advertising one thing. selling people something else.

what if no one ever said anything about this?

it's perfectly fine for people to keep buying from her without knowing all the facts first?

when stuff about ebay sellers is posted, it's considered to be in the interest of protecting mac consumers.

but it's "airing dirty laundry" when true info about pigment sample sellers gets posted?

would i NOT be "airing dirty laundry" if i bought these samples from her on ebay? would the samples being from ebay make it ok?

because it seems that everything posted about ebay sellers here is perfectly ok and commended by forum users.

if i am wrong, then apologies for asking for help, and then trying to warn others about a seller they need to watch out for.

i thought that type of info was welcome here.

 

[Corvs Queen]

I just think that you should have contacted the seller first and gave her the chance to make it right before going public with a complaint. A second chance if you will. And if things (i.e.your mail) went ignored or whatever then and only then would something like this be warranted. Just sayin.

 

[Shimmer]

This is probably best left to Swaptawk.

 

[SouthernGirl]

Bought 1/2 Tsp Samples That Are 1/4 Tsp! I Got CHEATED!! Part 2

i do not understand how my original post got closed. i see threads with like 100 pages so i am not understanding why my thread was closed with just one page and a few replies.

but anyway....this message is for corvis queen and everyone else who saw my original post.

if you are confused about this message please look up my original post. and if anyone could tell me why my thread was closed i appreciate it. i am new to specktra so some of this stuff is confusing.

-----

anway, i just wanted to say...yeah, i see your point corvis queen.

i just felt frustrated after i realized that she did this to me twice, then overcharged me for shipping.

i felt that since she has a record of doing this (at least twice, to me) that perhaps others may have had experience with her and could advise me on the best way to communicate my feelings to her before i talked to her.

that's why i kept asking in my original post if anyone else had seen the sale thread.

that way, if she tried to act like it was ME who was trying to scam HER, i could have some backup and say, well ya know, i am not the only one with this complaint.

i have just dealt with so many bad sellers who, when i did try to contact them first, they are all like YOU are the one trying to scam me, etc., and then they end up filing a dispute against me first!

then paypal won't do anything so my money just gets taken with no recourse.

i thought i would try it a different way this time, and see what others thought so...

now i've done that, and the only thing that's left is to contact her.

after that, i will report back so if she does what i feel is correct and gives me a partial refund, i will let everyone know how it works out.

but she also needs to seriously change the way she lists these samples, or get new measuring spoons, lol, and i will let her know that too.

thanks!

 

[Shimmer]

Re: Bought 1/2 Tsp Samples That Are 1/4 Tsp! I Got CHEATED!! Part 2

I closed the thread and provided a link for a site that is geared specifically to airing difficulties with Swap/Sale issues.